Charitable Giving

Returning to our car after enjoying a Mother's Day dinner at a downtown restaurant yesterday, my two sons and I encountered a man who was obviously homeless. He was seated near one of the parking meters and across from an eatery with outside tables.

As we passed him, he asked, "Can you spare some small change?" It would have been easy to ignore him as so many other passersby were doing, After all, didn't the city install depositories downtown where people could give money for people like this man? The homeless aren't supposed to solicit alms anymore. But his gentle inquiry and humble nature caused me to flashback to another time.

Many years ago, I was dropping mail off inside the main post office on a very cold winter evening, and sitting just below the mail drop, was a homeless woman. She stared straight ahead, completely unaffected by my presence, and with all her worldly belongings strewn about. It was obvious that this was her respite from the cold.

I wanted to hand her money so that maybe she could find some creature comfort nearby in the form of a warm drink or food, but I didn't know how to do that without, perhaps, offending her. So what did I do? Nothing! and it has haunted me since then. I looked for her thereafter every time I had to drop off mail. I never saw her again and the opportunity to help was gone.

So, when someone asks me for money, I try to find a way to help. It might surprise others to know that in the Bible, Matthew 5:42 states: "Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." There are many other passages related to judgment, and it is clear that some things are left to God, not us.

When you know that someone is in need, regardless of whether you think they are deserving, I find it to be an opportunity to share many blessings. If I don't want to give money, I can find out if hunger is an issue and then buy something for the person to eat. I can buy a bus pass, I can direct someone to where they can find the assistance they need. I can acknowledge want.

Yes, I had quite a bit of change which I readily handed over to the man who asked. As I placed it into his dirty looking hands, he thanked me. It was really I who should say thanks to God because I was on the giving end and not the receiving.